The Nest Pre-School

The Nest Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 144059 Inspection date 19/07/2011 Inspector Josephine Geoghegan

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Setting address Longfield Hall, 50 Knatchbull Road, LONDON, SE5 9QY

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Telephone number 0207-978-9158 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

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

The Nest Pre-School is a community, non-profit making pre-school that is a parent- run organisation. They have been registered since 1992 and operate from what was the caretaker's flat on the ground floor of Longfield Hall, which is located in the Myatt's Field area of the London borough of Lambeth. Children have access to two teaching rooms and toilet facilities. There is also an office and a kitchen. Children have direct access to an enclosed outside play area and an enclosed garden. They also use the basement studio area for planned activities and events, such as yoga. The pre-school is open each weekday during term time; Monday, Tuesday and Thursday they operate from 9.15am to 3pm and Wednesday and Friday from 9.15am to 12.15pm. They are registered to care for 20 children in the early years age range at any one time. There are currently 24 children on roll. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register.

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Description of the setting

Staff support a few children who have indentified special educational needs and/or disabilities and three children who are learning English as an additional language. There is a team of four staff who work with the children who work various shifts. Staff hold relevant childcare qualifications. Children attend for a variety of sessions and the group is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children. They do not offer care to children under 2 years old.

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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

The needs of all children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are met effectively, with outstanding aspects relating to some of the outcomes for children and areas of leadership and management. Promoting equality is securely embedded in staff practice; as a result, high regard is given to meeting children's individual needs which helps to bridge any gaps in their learning and development. All required documentation is in place, although the use of supporting documentation is less well developed in some areas, such as the methods of recording children's learning priorities within their assessments and the recording of risk assessments for local outings. Staff show a strong capacity to maintain continuous improvement and develop the quality of their service through well established methods of self- evaluation. They work closely with parents and professionals to ensure children's welfare, learning and developmental needs are promoted effectively. Children are

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

offered an excellent balance of learning opportunities and, as a result, they are happy and purposefully engaged in activities that promote all areas of learning.

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further?

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 extend the methods of recording children's assessments so that clearer links are made to children's individual priorities for learning.  update the record of risk assessments for outings so that they also include risk assessments for local outings.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is safeguarded through implementation of appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures and staff training; as a result staff know what to do if they have any concerns about children's welfare. Staff also ensure that all required documentation is effectively maintained; this ensures that the attendance of all children, staff and visitors, along with records of any accidents or medication administered, can be tracked if needed. Appropriate vetting systems are in place to ensure staff are suitable to work with children and for all relevant committee members. High regard is given to promoting children's safety as staff complete regular risk assessments and safety checks. They conduct risk assessments prior to planned outings, although methods of recording risk assessments for local outings are not yet established. Staff help children learn about safety, for example, while participating in emergency evacuation drills and

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the early years provision

Excellent systems are in place to ensure children's individual needs are met effectively. For example, staff know the children well and differentiate the education programmes to provide appropriate levels of challenge for older children; they ensure the early years profile is completed for any children who remain in their care until the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage. In addition, staff complete individual education plans for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and form secure partnerships with parents and relevant professionals so that relevant information is shared effectively. Children learn about cultures and beliefs through planned activities and events. They learn about their local community through regular outings and use toys and books that promote diversity. Staff show an awareness of children's home languages and support their learning of English through lots of conversations and good visual aids

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the early years provision

throughout the premises, such as signs and labels showing pictures and words. Staff show a clear commitment to establishing good partnership working with peripatetic staff, professionals and other schools. They also work closely with the local authority to ensure that they keep up to date with current practice.

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the early years provision

Excellent systems are in place to ensure engagement with parents is highly effective. For example, parents are offered a professionally printed 'end of year book' showing photos of all children engaging in a broad range of activities and outings throughout the school year. This provides parents with an excellent insight of their children's time at the setting and their development over time. Parents are also able to be involved in the governance and daily life of the nursery. For example, the setting is run by an active parents committee, ensuring the provision This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 reflects the needs of the children and families attending. Parents are able to volunteer to present set activities and also attend social events and sports days. Regular reviews with their children's key person ensure parents are kept well informed about their children's progress.

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the early years provision

Deployment of resources is effective as staff ensure that the time children attend is used purposefully to promote all areas of learning. They have established good key worker systems and plan the educational programmes and care around children's individual needs. They also show regard to organising the environment to meet the changing needs of their service; for example, they plan to provide a comfortable space for children who wish to rest as they now operate full day sessions on three days per week. Staff show a strong commitment to developing the quality of the service and driving improvement as they have successfully met all recommendations raised at the last inspection. Staff have completed an accurate self-evaluation that reflects their provision and highlights their strengths and any areas that they plan to improve. They hold regular staff meetings and committee meetings enabling the whole provision to be evaluated on a regular basis.

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and outcomes for children

Children benefit from a warm welcoming learning environment where they select resources that promote all areas of learning, enabling them to develop their independence. They are supported well by staff who are enthusiastic and show an interest in child-initiated play, responding quickly to children's questions and statements; this enables children to successfully extend their learning and concentration. Staff also support children's learning by asking challenging questions that make them think. Children benefit from a stimulating learning environment with wall displays of their creative work along with photos and information for parents. Staff show an excellent understanding of the early learning goals and make consistent assessments of children's progress. They use their assessments to aid future planning so that the activities offered reflect children's learning needs, although methods of recording children's individual

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and outcomes for children

future learning priorities within their assessments are less well established. Staff also complete regular reports of children's progress that are shared with parents and reflect all areas of learning; these are supported by photos of children participating in a broad range of activities and outings and samples of their creative work.

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and outcomes for children

Staff show high regard to maintaining good standards of hygiene during everyday practice and while serving snacks. Children are supported well in developing their awareness of any foods that they cannot eat and adopt healthy lifestyles as they make choices of the fresh fruits they would like to eat at snack time. They enjoy a relaxed and sociable lunchtime as they all sit together with staff and eat the packed lunches that they bring from home. Children have excellent opportunities to gain fresh air and exercise; for example, they participate in regular outings to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the local park and enjoy the weekly yoga sessions. They also enjoy free-flow play and use a variety of wheeled toys and climbing apparatus in the outside play area, developing their physical control. Children are very well behaved. They show a clear awareness of expectations of their behaviour and respond cooperatively to

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and outcomes for children

the daily routines. They show a positive contribution to their learning environment as they sing songs about tidying up while putting away the chairs and toys. In addition, children show good relationships with staff and each other, helping them to feel safe in their learning environment. They freely approach staff if they have any concerns and show an increasing ability to use language to negotiate and express their views appropriately. For example, older children are clearly able to use language to negotiate which yoga session they should attend and their reasons why.

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and outcomes for children

Children are confident speakers and use language to express imagined experiences, for example, while engaging in a role play games. They also show an awareness of place as they discuss real life experiences and use language to describe things, such as the apple trees at home and in the pre-school. Children enjoy books read by staff and join in with familiar parts of the story and answer questions with great interest. Children also develop their language skills as they participate in regular French sessions with a peripatetic teacher. Many children are able to write their names showing well-formed letters and draw detailed pictures of people and familiar objects. Children show excellent problem solving skills as they use a variety of construction sets and puzzles effectively. They use number during play, for example, stating the amount of things they are using and accurately count in excess of ten when the whole group join together at snack time.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop their awareness of technology as they use operational toys and attend regular computers sessions with a peripatetic teacher. Children have access to a good range of toys and resources, including a well-stocked creative room where they can access an extensive range of art and craft materials, enabling them to develop their free creative expression. Children also have good opportunities to use resources that reflect all areas of learning while they are in the outside play area. They have use of an additional garden where they grow plants and vegetables and frequently visit the local park with a nature area and pond; this enables them to gain hands on experiences of nature and living things. Overall, children have outstanding opportunities to develop their skills for the future as they are offered an excellent balance of learning opportunities while at the setting, during regular outings, and set activities with peripatetic teachers.

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and outcomes for children

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 1 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 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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