Milford Pre-School Plus Ltd

Milford Pre-School Plus Limited Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY350734 Inspection date 28/09/2011 Inspector Diane Wilkinson

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Setting address Milford C of E School,, Lymington Road, Milford on Sea, Lymington, Hampshire, SO41 0RF Telephone number 01590 644 684 Email milfordpreschool@aol.com 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

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

Milford Pre-school Plus Limited opened in 1980. It is a company limited by guarantee. It is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from a dedicated building within the grounds of Milford Primary School with which it has links and has access to secure outdoor play space and the school playing field. Children from the local and surrounding area attend. The group may care for no more than 26 children under eight years; of these, not more than 26 may be in the early years age group, and of these, none may be under two years at any one time. There are currently 54 children on the pre-school roll some of whom receive funding for nursery education. There are currently 50 children attending the after-school club, of these, 22 are under eight years. The number of children attending the holiday club fluctuates each holiday. The setting supports children

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Description of the setting

with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pre-school sessions operate from 8.40am to 11.40am and 12.40pm to 3.10pm, with a lunch club between. After-school sessions operate between 3.15pm to 5.45pm. Pre-school and after- school sessions operate term time only. The holiday club runs from 8.45am to 5.45pm. There are 13 staff who work with the children all of whom hold or are working towards relevant early years qualifications. The setting receives support from the local authority and the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Staff are extremely skilled at using children's own interests as starting points for their learning. They carefully ensure that the activities cover all important aspects of their development. The quality of education and the attention given to children's welfare are excellent so that children thrive and make excellent progress. The setting works very successfully with other schools and agencies, and with parents and carers to support children's development. Staff are highly reflective, so self- evaluation is exceptionally good in continually improving provision. This gives the setting an excellent capacity for improvement although current documentation makes monitoring of new strategies difficult.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 collate self-evaluation and development planning into common documents in order to make it easier for staff to monitor the impact of this on children's outcomes. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children and their families gain considerably from the excellent work of the manager who inspires and supports staff exceptionally well to maintain the high- quality provision. All who work in the setting share her vision of providing opportunities for each child to develop through learning in the best way suitable for them. In this, they are highly successful. Outstanding arrangements are in place for the safeguarding of children, evident in the very well organised policies and rigorous procedures for child protection, health and safety and risk assessments. There are daily checks on the equipment and resources children use. Very regular and thorough fire drills take place in both the pre-school and after- school and holiday clubs. These strengths benefit children of all ages who attend the setting. The pre-school leader exhibits outstanding skills in supporting this age group, especially through ensuring that staff acquire the skills to meet individual needs.

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the early years provision

Liaison between the adjacent primary school, other pre-schools, and professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, for example speech and language therapists, is exemplary. Close links with the school's Early Years Foundation Stage leader ensures there is a very well co-ordinated approach to Reception children's learning. These strengths help ensure that children's equality of opportunity is excellent. Parents and carers speak very highly of the setting and recognise the significant benefits it brings their children and the excellent relationship they have with staff. Parents and carers express no concerns about any aspect of the setting's work and feel exceptionally well informed and involved in helping their children's development; for example through their contribution to assessment. Directors devolve much of the responsibility for the leadership and management

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the early years provision

to the manager although they keep a regular check on provision, helping to ensure all runs smoothly. The headteacher of Milford Primary School who is one of the Directors, visits very regularly, often reading stories to the children. The manager is extremely hard working and well-organised. Her excellent deployment of and training support for staff helps ensure the needs of children of all ages are met exceptionally well. Very carefully chosen and good-quality resources promote very effective learning. In the setting's determination to keep refining provision, self- evaluation is on the agenda at each team meeting. This ensures that weaker elements are very quickly and successfully identified and addressed through very effective development planning. However, the records of this are kept in various documents, making it more difficult for staff to monitor the progress of development.

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and outcomes for children

Children's well-being is given high priority. Excellent induction procedures help them settle very quickly, sustain interest and learn to work well independently or with others. Relationships are outstanding, with younger children happily playing This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 with older ones in the after-school and holiday clubs. The excellent relationships with school staff and the high-quality assessment documents ensure transfer to Reception is very smooth. Key workers play an outstanding role in supporting children's progress, especially in monitoring this through excellent assessment procedures. Staff have an excellent awareness of when they need to teach children new things or where an activity can help children to discover things for themselves. They are exceptionally good at helping children to learn and develop in the ways most suited to them. Consequently, they plan outstanding activities round topics of

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and outcomes for children

interest suggested by the children, such as 'Jelly', 'Knights' and 'Traffic Lights'. As a result, children enjoy the activities very much and develop a thirst for learning. There are a wealth of opportunities for children to read, write, count or explore the world around them. Children benefit considerably from access to the school field and gardens, having their own patch for growing vegetables which they harvest and cook. This helps them develop an excellent knowledge and understanding of the world and awareness of the benefits of healthy eating and exercise. Children feel very safe and secure in the setting and are knowledgeable about ways they can keep themselves safe. Staff skillfully used children's interest in traffic lights in a range of activities associated with role play, model making and cookery, where children made traffic light jam tarts. Children's acquisition of important communication, language and literacy and l and

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and outcomes for children

problem solving, reasoning and numeracy skills is given high priority. Every opportunity is taken to engage children in conversation by carefully correcting misconceptions or prompting them to move on to new learning. Where necessary, excellent support is provided for speech and language needs. Children love joining in rhymes and greatly enjoy stories, often choosing to look at a book on their own in the welcoming book corner. They quickly learn to use scissors safely and develop excellent pencil control. By the time they go to school, most children write their own name and form many letters correctly. The vast majority count to 10, comparing the quantity in different groups. Many opportunities for reading, writing and problem solving in the after-school and holiday clubs help extend these skills. Strengths, such as these prepare children exceptionally well for the future. Children make an excellent contribution to the setting by organising equipment,

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and outcomes for children

self-registering and helping new children to settle. They are very curious, for example about how water flows and what makes it change direction or how high they can build a tower of foam blocks. They greatly enjoy role play, for example, acting out a story or using a stethoscope when pretending to be a doctor. All join in enthusiastically making music with percussion instruments or singing rhymes. 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 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 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 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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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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