Great Expectations Pre-School

Great Expectations Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY362002 Inspection date 23/04/2012 Inspector Lynne Pope

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Setting address 32-40 Grange Road, Middlesbrough, Cleveland, TS1 5AU

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Telephone number 01642 243256 Email williamhg@btinternet.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

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

Great Expectations Pre-school is owned by a sole director and was registered in 2007. It operates from a two-storey converted building in the centre of Middlesbrough. The pre-school serves the local area. 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

The pre-school opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. A maximum of 90 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. There are currently 70 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The pre- school also offers care to children aged over five years. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, 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 21 members of childcare staff. Of these, four staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and 17 staff at level 3 or above. 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's thorough knowledge of each child's individual needs, ensures that all aspects of children's welfare and learning are promoted with success. They enjoy a broad range of activities and experiences which effectively meets their needs and helps them to make good progress in their learning and development. Children are cared for in a very safe and secure environment and all records are in place to meet requirements. The good partnership with parents ensures that staff communicate well to put the children's needs first. Links have been developed with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage that children attend. The leadership and management have a strong capacity for sustained improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 support the development of independence skills at lunch time for preschool children so that they seek to do things for themselves, such as serving their own food  continue to develop the good partnership with parents through the development of the parents' room, for example, through workshops. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Priority is given to children's welfare. Staff understand their responsibilities to safeguard children and capably describe procedures that they would follow should a concern be raised to protect children from harm or neglect. The robust recruitment and vetting procedures ensure that staff are suitable to be working with children and hold appropriate qualifications. Their on-going suitability and training needs are identified through annual appraisals and one to one meetings with the manager. The manager has a very clear understanding of how the provision is run and carries out regular observations of staff practice which helps to identify any additional training needs. A comprehensive risk assessment is supported by effective daily checking procedures which ensure that potential hazards are identified and minimised.

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the early years provision

Children are cared for in a safe, spacious, well maintained and attractively presented environment which helps children to settle happily. The playrooms are arranged into areas of play, such as, creative, construction and imaginative play. Resources are available in accessible units which enable children to make their own choices as they develop their independence. Their artwork and colourful posters are on the wall, which gives children a sense of belonging. The management has a clear sense of purpose and has made a strong commitment to self-evaluation of practice which incorporates input from the local authority. This ensures all aspects of the provision are monitored and evaluated, therefore, supporting on-going improvement. Regular staff meetings and frequent opportunities for staff development and training ensure that all keep up-to-date with changes and are continually improving their skills for the benefit of the

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the early years provision

children. The action and recommendations from the last inspection have been implemented. For example, all staff have taken part in safeguarding training to update their knowledge. They have taken part in equality and diversity training and refresher training for culture and religion was provided.

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the early years provision

Staff work very closely with parents and other agencies that may be involved with children that have special educational needs and/or disabilities and children with English as an additional language, resulting in them making good progress. All children are fully integrated into the setting and activities are provided based on each child's interests. Good relationships have been developed with parents. They are asked to complete an 'all about me' record when their child first starts. It forms part of the child's development portfolio and helps staff to gain an understanding of the child. Parents are kept well informed about their child's activities through daily discussion and staff complete a record of the child's day which is handed to parents to take home. Newsletters are sent out four times a year to keep them informed about what is happening and there is a slip attached at the bottom for them to return any suggestions or comments that they would like to make. Staff

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the early years provision

have recently developed a parents' room, however they have not yet decided how the room is to be used. Parents stated how happy they are with the care and learning that their child receives. They feel they are aware of what their child is involved in when attending and that they can access their child's development portfolio at any time. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Staff plan and organise the systems to ensure that every child receives an enjoyable and challenging learning and development experience that is tailored to meet their individual needs. They plan for the individual child based on their observations and feedback from parents. Every six to twelve weeks they carry out an in-depth observation of each child and the information from all observations is used to update the summative assessment which shows how children progress against the early learning goals. This also helps to identify any gaps in children's learning and development. Information from the summative assessments is then used by the manager on a cohort sheet which maps the progress of all children born within the same academic school year and enables her to identify variations in achievement between groups, such as, boys and girls or those with English as an additional language

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and outcomes for children

Children are settled and happily occupied. They explore from the security of the close relationships that they have with the staff. From an early age children learn to communicate through pointing or making sounds which develop into words and then sentences. Programmes of education are used with pre-school children, such as 'Blast' which boosts their language, auditory skills and talking. Staff feedback to parents at the end of each session and they receive a copy of the story that has been read so that they can read it at home with their child. Children show an appreciation for books. They ask staff to read to them and young children sit on the staff member's knee while they look at pictures and talk about them. Number is used in everyday activities. Staff ask children how many balls of play dough are needed for the number of children sat at the table. Children quickly respond with 'four'. Another child counts up to four when talking about how many things they

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and outcomes for children

have at home. Concentrated effort is made when pouring water from one jug to another and staff talk about sizes asking which item is bigger. A wide variety of activities help children to develop an understanding of a wider world. Outings are taken in the local environment.

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and outcomes for children

Staff have taken photographs of landmarks which children enjoy looking at once back in their room. In the garden children search for mini-beasts which they look at through their magnifying glasses saying that it makes them 'look bigger'. Festivals are looked at during the year, such as Chinese New Year and linked activities are offered to the children. Visitors are invited into the provision such as the police and children have visited a local event where they were able to pet and feed farm animals. Space within the provision enables children from babies upwards to move around safely. Babies make strong and purposeful movements as they connect with the resources. Older children are taught the importance of walking indoors and enjoy the freedom of running or pushing themselves round on tricycles in the garden. Crates and planks are used to build obstacle courses so children can practise their balancing skills and they visit the local park where they

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and outcomes for children

are able to use large climbing equipment. Children explore and experiment with different media. They use paint brushes on paper then paint their hands and do hand prints. They realise that when they mix red and blue that they get purple. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Outdoors they paint on the fence with soil and water or use just water on the blackboards.

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and outcomes for children

Every child's welfare needs are given close attention. Warm and caring relationships with the staff help children to feel safe and secure in their surroundings. They learn about possible dangers and how to keep themselves safe through routines, such as fire evacuation procedures. Staff have a calm, consistent attitude towards caring for the children. There is a calm atmosphere throughout the provision. Excellent behaviour management strategies are used with children. 'The five golden rules' have been developed by staff to raise children's awareness of the ground rules. They are displayed in the rooms and staff talk to children about them. Lots of verbal praise is given when children do well. They learn to respect each other and take turns as staff give guidance on sharing resources which supports the development of skills they will need for the future. Healthy meals and snacks are freshly prepared at the premises and dietary needs and

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and outcomes for children

parental preferences are met. Children's awareness of healthy eating develops as staff talk to them about the various foods and why they are good for them. The provision has taken part in a food award scheme organised by the local council where they received a gold award which they gained by ensuring that healthy choices are offered to children. Good steps are taken to prevent the spread of infection. Policies and guidance are shared with parents and all necessary records and consents are in place. 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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