St Dominic CofE Primary School

Willow Bank Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 148695 Inspection date 14/03/2012 Inspector David Hogg

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Setting address Duffield Road, Woodley, Reading, Berkshire, RG5 4RW

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Telephone number 01189 27 2338 Email wbps@live.com 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. 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

Willow Bank Pre-school opened in 1985. It operates from a purpose-built building which is situated in the grounds of Willow Bank Infants' School, in Woodley, Berkshire. There is also an outdoor area attached to the building, which is for the exclusive use of the pre-school children. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register, and a maximum of 32 children aged between three years and five years may attend at any one time. The pre-school is open Monday to Friday, 8.45am - 3.30pm term time only. There are currently 59 children on roll. The setting is in receipt of funding for free early years education for 58 three- and four- year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also children for whom English is an additional language. A committee runs the pre-school and employs eleven staff, nine of whom work with the children on a part time basis and one as

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Description of the setting

part time cleaner. Of these staff, one holds a Level 6 Early Years Practitioners qualification, seven hold a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 3 childcare qualification and one holds a NVQ Level 2 qualification.

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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

Willow Bank Pre-school provides an environment in which children can develop and make good progress in all areas of learning. Staff are well trained, knowledgeable about the children in their care and work effectively to support children's learning and welfare needs. Safeguarding arrangements are also good and the children's safety is given a high priority. The good leaders and managers are aware of the broad aspects of the provision that need to develop further, although the setting's self-evaluation is not sufficiently rigorous. The setting's track-record of improvement since the last inspection demonstrates its good capacity to improve further in the future.

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further?

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

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further?

 focus the planning of learning activities to the individual needs of all the children to personalise their learning  develop more effective systems for self-evaluation to identify areas for improvement and enhance the outcomes for children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Safeguarding arrangements are good. Child protection training is up to date for all members of staff. All key policies have been reviewed over the last year and the management team are currently bringing the child protection policy in line with that of the host school. Risk assessment processes are robust, carried out regularly and are effective in ensuring that both the site and children are safe. Leadership and management are ambitious and drive improvement well. The manager has developed good partnerships with outside agencies to access guidance and support for the children. Her work alongside the special educational needs coordinators ensures that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are able to develop and make progress similar to their peers. Alongside this, the low child-to-adult ratios ensure good support for learners of all abilities. Children with very specific needs are cared for particularly well. Adults give the

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the early years provision

children close attention and monitor and record the progress they make. Children feel safe and the setting ensures that there always is a caring adult nearby if they have a problem. Staff join in with the activities but also know when to step back and allow the children to progress their learning more independently. Resources are used well in the setting, and have a good impact on children's progress. The purpose-built setting is spacious and is divided into different areas in which staff provide engaging activities or areas for free play. Leaders, managers and all staff promote equality and diversity well, and are committed to ensuring that all children can access activities and make good progress. Resources within the pre-school are well managed and deployed effectively, and as a result, children with a range of diverse needs are able to engage fully in activities. The development points from the last inspection have been addressed fully and

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the early years provision

indicate the setting's good capacity to improve further. Although satisfactory overall, self-evaluation does not identify specific areas for development which result in targeted plans for improvement. Engagement with parents and carers is good. The views of parents and carers are sought before new initiatives are brought in and they are kept informed about general developments through a termly newsletter. Staff meet with parents and carers at least twice a year to discuss their child's progress. They also discuss, on a less formal basis, issues at the beginning or end of a session. Transition links with the host and other primary schools are good and characterised by a sharp, focused discussion of the children's progress and needs. The staff work together to review the overall effectiveness of the provision in engaging the children and helping them to develop. They are beginning to extend this to review the impact on the

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the early years provision

children's learning so helping them to plan activities that are even more personalised to the children's individual needs.

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and outcomes for children

The children enjoy pre-school and are looked after well as a result of the good safeguarding procedures and the caring attitude of the staff; as a result children This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 feel very safe. Adult support is always available to the children if they need it. The children build strong relationships with adults and develop confidence and self- esteem as a result. The activities they experience are wide-ranging, motivating and enable children to develop well and make good progress in all areas. Children enjoy cultural experiences such as Diwali celebrations where they dressed in saris and began to develop an awareness of other customs and lifestyles. Singing and dancing are strong features of learning. Through these experiences children develop counting and letter awareness as well as an appreciation of rhythm and music. Altering the words of a much-loved song was greeted with much laughter

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and outcomes for children

and excitement. The children were quick to correct the member of staff. The children are confident speakers and are interested in the environment around them. Staff encourage the children to talk and discuss what they are doing. Some children demonstrate great imagination in the games they play. One boy explained in detail how he was designing a new engine as he entered imaginary computer code into a key board. The art work the children produce is very good. Work is displayed on the walls, including examples of individual children's paintings and collaboratively created collages. The children are confident in giving their opinions. At the end of an art activity the key adult pointed out the blending of colours that had been achieved. The child disagreed saying the picture was 'a mess'. The children make a good, positive contribution; they behave well and usually share toys and equipment. When moving around both outdoors and indoors, they are

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and outcomes for children

careful and sensible not to bump each other and demonstrate a willingness to co- operate with others around them. The children enjoy their outdoor time. The supervising adults actively involve themselves in the games they play, whether that is being chased on scooters or throwing balls into a netball hoop. The pre-school also provides a space for the children to sit quietly and look at books if they so choose. Staff observe the children regularly to assess the progress they are making. This information is then recorded on review sheets which are added to the children's learning journals and used to inform formal assessments. The journals are detailed and include examples of children's work and photographs and show how the children are progressing over time. The activities the children engage with are well-planned under an overall topic heading and allow all children to be involved. The staff are aware of the differing needs of the children, however the specific

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and outcomes for children

personalisation of learning to match individual needs is not yet consistently embedded in planning. All children are valued, nurtured and well-prepared with the skills necessary to make a successful transition to their next stage of education. 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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