Little Teapots Pre School

Little Teapots Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 251562 Inspection date 30/03/2011 Inspector ISP Inspection

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Setting address Erskine Centre Chevington Road, Chedburgh, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, IP29 4UL Telephone number 01284 852 005 Email www.littleteapotspreschool.org.uk Type of setting Childcare - Non-Domestic 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

Children only attend this setting before and/or after the school day and/or during the school holidays. The judgements in this report reflect the quality of early years provision offered to children during those periods.

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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 Teapots Pre-School is managed by a voluntary management committee of parents of children at the pre-school and members of the local community. It was registered in 1998 and operates from its own premises within the Erskine Centre in the village of Chedburgh, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. The pre-school is accessible to all children and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 32 children may attend the pre-school at any one time, all of whom may be on the Early Years Register. There are currently 38 children attending who are within the early years age range. The pre-school cares for children from five to 12 years of age before and after school and during school holidays. The pre-school is open from 8am until 6pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. Children attend for a variety of sessions. Children come from the local and surrounding area. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and compulsory part of the Childcare Register. The pre-school provides funded early education for three- and four-year-olds and the pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school employs eight staff, of these seven hold appropriate early years qualifications. The pre-school supervisor is a key practitioner for the local authority in the areas of 'the learning environment' and 'planning and assessment'. The pre- school receives support from the local authority.

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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

Children's welfare, learning and development in the Early Years Foundation Stage are fully supported in all areas by the staff. The staff know children's individual needs exceptionally well and plan an exceptionally stimulating learning environment and a wide range of experiences to support children's ongoing learning. The setting has excellent relationships with parents and seeks and acts upon support and advice from other professionals and settings with which the children are involved to ensure that their individual needs can be met. The setting has established clear procedures for evaluating and monitoring their outstanding practice and identifies areas for improvement, such as extending staff training which will benefit children's continued learning and development.

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further?

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

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further?

 seeking and providing opportunities for staff to attend courses and training to keep abreast of developments in childcare and education and enhance This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 their professional practice.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is effectively supported as all staff have undertaken training on safeguarding children and are all highly knowledgeable of the necessary steps to take should they have any concerns about the welfare of a child. The setting has robust policies and procedures in place for staff to follow that include local contact numbers, which are fully accessible. There are clear written risk assessments in place for all areas and equipment within the setting to ensure that children are effectively protected from any potential dangers. Staff complete thorough and comprehensive risk assessments before each outing, ensuring that children's safety is maintained when away from the setting and that records of these are kept. The premises are secure and children cannot leave them unsupervised. This helps to further promote children's safety.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents are highly effective; they are kept fully informed about their child's learning and development through daily verbal feedback. Children's learning journey records are accessible and available for parents to view at any time. This enables parents to contribute comments regularly about their children's interests and learning at home and add to the 'wow' board to share their children's achievements. This also helps to keep the staff updated with any changes in the children's learning and development. Parents are kept informed about the provision through the notice board in the entrance, and copies of the pre-school's policies and procedures which are readily available. Parents are able to provide feedback by joining the committee to help the setting in making continued improvements to their practice to benefit children. For example, recently, events were held to raise funds for a new library area which has given children access to

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the early years provision

books and comfortable seating. staff are highly committed to working in partnership with others and take a lead role in establishing effective working relationships. The pre-school has in place clear procedures to exchange information with other settings children attend, providing continuity of care. Children make regular visits to the school they will attend which helps them to develop positive relationships and familiarise themselves with their new surroundings to ensure that they feel settled and are fully supported with transitions.

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the early years provision

The majority of staff hold appropriate qualifications in early years to fully support children's learning and development. All staff have an excellent understanding of all aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage and are involved with planning activities each week around the individual needs of their key children. The staff are fully supported by the committee in pursuing further training for their continued professional development, however, staff and manager would like to attend more courses to extend their knowledge. All staff members are included in reviewing and evaluating the pre-school's practice and maintaining the outstanding quality; areas for improvement have been identified to benefit children's learning and development. The settings policies and procedures support their outstanding practice, and are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect changes and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

improvements. Parents' and childrens views are sought through well designed questionnaires to gain their feedback on the pre-school's practice. This feedback is then used to make positive changes and to develop and improve staff practice further, improving outcomes for children. The ethos and vision for the setting is shared by all staff and communicated by the manager to inspire and motivate them to provide exceptional care and learning for children.

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and outcomes for children

Children are provided with a varied range of healthy options at snack time to effectively promote their health. For example, they have carrot sticks and raisins with milk or water to drink. Staff work very effectively with parents to promote children's good health and share their healthy eating policy with them to encourage healthy options in the children's lunch boxes. Staff ensure that all children's health and medical needs are effectively supported through the range of clear policies and procedures they have in place. Children have access to a wide range of imaginative large equipment in the outside play area, such as a pirate ship, where they can climb, crawl, jump and balance to effectively support their physical development. Children are taken out for regular walks within the local community. This helps them to develop a positive attitude to exercise and effectively promotes their health. The outside play area is exceptionally well

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and outcomes for children

resourced and effectively used and helps to ensure that children are developing an excellent understanding on how to keep themselves healthy through regular exercise and fresh air. Children have planted vegetables and have helped dig the ground to create a wild garden. This helps children to learn about eating foods which will promote their healthy development and develops their understanding about their environment through first-hand experiences. Children's independence is promoted as snack is on a rolling plan; they select their own food, pour their own drinks and clear away their own plates. This allows children to make choices about what and when they eat to meet their own needs. All children are supported in developing an effective understanding of personal hygiene, as they all know that they need to wash their hands before eating. Children show a strong sense of security and a very good understanding about how to keep themselves and others

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and outcomes for children

safe. They show an exceptional understanding of rules and safety issues and practise the fire evacuation procedures regularly to enhance their understanding of what to do in an emergency situation.

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and outcomes for children

Staff use puppets to gain children's attention to encourage them to tidy up resources at the end of the session. Children are able to choose which area to tidy up, which helps them to learn about being responsible and caring for their environment. Children are able to access an exceptional wide range of resources in the outside area to support all areas of their development effectively. Children enjoy searching for minibeasts, excitedly examining them and discussing their attributes as they observe them through magnifiers. Text is used effectively to designate the areas and illustrate the activites for children, such as notices telling them where the 'car wash' is taking place and the pirate theme vocabulary near the pirate ship. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 At the beginning of the session staff welcome children, speak Spanish and French and use Makaton sign language when saying children's names. This helps children

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and outcomes for children

to learn about different ways of communicating and ensures that all children are included. Children with additional needs are exceptionally well catered for because key workers work closely with parents and outside professionals to ensure all programmes are followed to enable them to reach their potential and be included to take a full part in activities.

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and outcomes for children

Children have free access to a vast range of craft resources to freely create collage and express their ideas through paint, chalk or coloured crayons. They have free access to a range of different textured and recycled materials, with tools to support their hand-eye coordination, and use these imaginatively to create models, pictures and cards. Children's self-esteem and confidence is promoted as the effort they put into their art and craft work is valued by staff, who give them positive praise and use their work to good effect on displays around the setting. Children are developing their understanding that the printed word carries meaning as they find their named coat peg on arrival and place their name card onto the welcome board. They are encouraged to 'sign in' on a sheet made available to them. The newly developed library area has been created to be appealing and to encourage children's love of literature as well as learn how to use books for information. At

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and outcomes for children

circle times children enjoy responding to interactive stories to engage them and further develop their interests in words and rhymes. Staff skilfully ask children effective questions about what they can see and hear in the book, developing their thinking skills and imagination. Children freely play with an exciting range of push button and programmable toys, such as bugs and cars. They know how to turn the computer on and off and can move the mouse around the screen to click on the action they want to play their game, thus developing their understanding of the uses of information technology in everyday contexts and developing important skills for future learning.

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and outcomes for children

The role play area is equipped with replica household appliances to allow for complex imaginative scenarios to develop as children play with the dolls and other props. Small world play invites children to make imaginary world and become engrossed as they take the animals and vehicles on adventures in a castle, dinosaur swamp or farm. Staff talk about where the different characters or animals in a story come from around the world and uses globes so children can find where the different countries are. This helps children to learn about the wider world and to develop a sense of where they live. Festivals and cultural events are included in the curriculum and celebrated with art, music, food and stories, bringing the wider world to the children at a level they can understand. Children undertake regular cooking activities, such as making fruit scones. They weigh out the ingredients and observe and comment on the changes as they mix them together. They then roll

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and outcomes for children

out the dough and cut out shapes, which staff place in the oven to cook. Children enjoy eating the food they have cooked and talking about it.

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and outcomes for children

Staff undertake regular, detailed and sensitive observations of children to record their interests and learning. The children's individual development profiles are extremely well illustrated with annotated photographs and examples of work, clearly showing how well children are developing across all areas of learning. Key workers use their observations to inform planning to ensure children's learning is This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 fully supported and activities are based largely on children's interests. The next steps in children's learning are identified and included in the weekly plans. Plans clearly show both adult and child-initiated activities, and include any areas identified for future learning to support children's continued progress. The settings effective 'tracker' system ensures that all areas are included and equal emphasis is given to all six areas, thereby, ensuring that all children receive a broad and

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and outcomes for children

balanced curriculum to help them make outstanding progress towards the early learning goals. Staff recognise and work with children's unique talents, ability levels and interests, promoting tailored activites to enable them to become confident learners and achieve their best as they prepare for future 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 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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