Bushytails Pre-School

Bushytails Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY271062 Inspection date 13/12/2011 Inspector Melanie Eastwell

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Setting address Kingsthorpe Village Primary School, Knights Lane, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN2 6QL Telephone number 07765970912 Email 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

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

Bushytails Pre School opened in 1960. It is a committee run group that operates from premises within the grounds of Kingsthorpe Village Primary School in Kingsthorpe, Northampton. The pre-school serves the local area and has strong links with the school. The building is accessible to all children and the school grounds are fully enclosed for outdoor play.

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Description of the setting

The pre school opens Monday to Friday during school term times. Sessions are from 8.45am until 11.45am and 12.30pm until 3.30pm, with a lunch club on Monday to Thursday from 11.45am until 12.30pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 26 children may attend the pre-school at any one time, all of whom may be on the Early Years Register. There are currently 37 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The pre-school provides funded early education for three and four-year-olds. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school employs seven members of childcare staff. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications. 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 good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The staff have a good knowledge of each child's needs and this enables them to be successful in promoting their welfare and learning. Children are safe and secure and they enjoy the positive interaction from the staff. The strong partnerships with parents and with other providers delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage are significant in making sure that the needs of all children are met. This means that children progress well given their age, ability and unique starting points. The pre- school have systems in place for reflective practice that identify some areas for continued improvement and they are keen to develop these systems further.

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further?

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

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further?

 expand upon the systems for the organisation of the setting by developing the use of self-evaluation to support ongoing improvements. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

This committee run pre-school is well-organised and efficiently operated by the committed staff team. The children's safety is given high priority. Written policies and procedures for risk assessment and safeguarding underpin the staff member's vigilance in promoting safety within the setting. Regular emergency evacuation drills are carried out and recorded, and risk assessments are in place for the premises, each type of outing that involves the children and for a range of different activities including woodwork. Children begin to develop an awareness of safety issues because they are fully involved in tidying away the play materials when they have finished with them and at the end of the session. Children are safeguarded because the staff understand the importance of following the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures in the event of any child protection concerns. Effective procedures are in place to ensure the recruitment and retention

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the early years provision

of suitable members of staff and all members of staff, have opportunities to develop their knowledge through attending training courses to complete qualifications.

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the early years provision

The pre-school has developed strong working partnerships that contribute to children receiving a consistent approach and a smooth transition from home to pre school and then onto school. Parents report highly complimentary comments about their children's experiences and particularly about how friendly and approachable the staff team are. Parents have access to noticeboards and they receive newsletters to inform them about forthcoming events. They are welcomed into the setting when they drop off and collect their children. The key workers ensure that parents have the opportunity to look at their child's achievement file and they are invited to record their own comments about their child's progress both in the files and on the 'share board' in the entrance hall. The pre-school continues to build links with the children's parents by recently introducing a library system where each child takes a book home to read with their parents every week. A reading

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the early years provision

record book is inside the children's book bags so that parents can record information about whether their child enjoyed the book. The staff team work closely with the local schools to ease children's transition when they leave the pre- school.

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the early years provision

The pre-school uses a local authority devised system to reflect on their practice with the children. All members of staff are involved in the process and the parents' views have been sought through the use of questionnaires. The children are also consulted with about their thoughts on their pre-school. However, the document is quite brief and does not fully reflect the range of work the staff do with the children and their parents. The staff are keen to continue the process of self- evaluation in order to clearly demonstrate the impact of their hard work on the children and their families. The pre-school demonstrates a good capacity for continuous improvement. For example, they have taken positive action on previous actions and recommendations and they have identified a number of well-targeted plans for future development. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

This welcoming pre-school has a lively and productive atmosphere in which the children demonstrate that they are confident to make choices and decisions about their play. They have access to well-planned activities that take account of their individual interests. Children are encouraged to make their own choices from the resources stored in low-level units and shelves. They thoroughly enjoy the staff's highly positive involvement with their play. The staff are skilled in engaging with all the children and they spend significant amounts of time sitting with them during their activities. For example, children are supported when they use the computer. The member of staff encourages them to persist at the activity and laughs along with them while giving praise when they succeed. The staff team understand when to get involved through extending children's vocabulary or making suggestions to extend the play, but they are also mindful of allowing the children to lead the

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and outcomes for children

activity. For example, children sitting on the floor with construction materials are supported to make a series of vehicles. The member of staff provides quiet encouragement which promotes the children to try new things, and they proudly push their vehicles across the floor, fixing them back together when they come uncoupled.

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and outcomes for children

The staff work together and are creative in their planning of activities. They identify individual children's next steps and include resources to promote their curiosity and interest. For example, a group of children use the torches to peer inside a tunnel that is linked to a supported barrel on its side. They say they are looking for spiders so the member of staff suggests they put the toy bugs and frogs inside. The group enthusiastically get involved in this and the activity extends to after lunch where they announce that they are looking for 'clues' and 'dragons'. The staff are active in promoting this imaginative and co-operative play through showing genuine interest in what they are doing. Each child has a record of achievement file that is updated three times each year by the key workers. In the meantime the key workers gather a wide range of observations both on sticky notes and in a notebook they all carry that clearly demonstrates children's

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and outcomes for children

progression in learning. The observations are often backed up by a photograph and the key workers link them to the relevant areas of learning. The observations are all cross-referenced to the tracking document that lists all of the development matters and the planning sheets. Any ideas from the children and identified next steps are incorporated into the next weeks planning.

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and outcomes for children

Children demonstrate clearly that they feel safe at the pre-school. They separate from their parents and quickly settle to play. They are confident to initiate conversations with the staff and to seek assistance and reassurance when they need it. They are familiar with the daily routine and respond positively to the staff because they are clear about the expectations and boundaries. Children work well together and cooperate with each other during their play. They talk together about their game and about who will take on the different roles. The staff's positive approach, effective involvement with them and the good range of activities and resources promotes children's good behaviour. Children are learning about managing their own personal hygiene. They are supervised in the toilet area. The This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 members of staff and the lunchtime supervisors talk to them about the reasons for

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and outcomes for children

washing their hands and about the types of food they have in their lunch boxes. The staff ensure that the tables are cleaned before snack and lunch time and the lunchtime supervisors are prompt in cleaning up when everyone has finished. Children are learning about the wider world. For example, they have access to a good range of resources, play materials and books that celebrate diversity and they are involved in celebrating a variety of festivals and cultural events. Equally, children are involved in their local community. For example, they go for walks around the village, visiting the church and the pocket park. The dedicated staff team work hard to ensure their provision meets each child's needs and this is reflected in the children's feelings of belonging and well-being in the pre-school. 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 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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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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