Hollingbourne Pre-School Playgroup

Hollingbourne Pre-School Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 127254 Inspection date 27/04/2012 Inspector Shanti Flynn

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Setting address Cardwell Pavillion, Greenway Court Road, Hollingbourne, Maidstone, Kent, ME17 1QD Telephone number 07864 065753 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. 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

Hollingbourne Pre-school Playgroup was registered in 1990. It operates from the Lance Memorial Pavillion in Hollingbourne, near Maidstone in Kent. The setting has sole use of the single-storey premises whilst in operation. Children use the main hall and have access to a secure outdoor play area. The setting is open each weekday from 9.10am to 12.10pm, term time only. A lunch club operates on Mondays and Thursdays.

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Description of the setting

The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 20 children aged between two and five years may attend at any one time. There are currently 30 children on roll. The setting is funded for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years and supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are five staff working with the children; of these three hold relevant early years qualifications.

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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 thrive at this setting because all staff are highly enthusiastic and passionate about their role in promoting the best possible outcomes for children. All children are welcomed and highly valued as individuals in this inclusive setting. Excellent partnerships with parents help ensure children's individual needs are exceedingly well met. Partnerships with other providers who deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage are generally good. Systems to monitor and evaluate the service are extremely efficient and support continuous improvement very effectively.

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further?

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

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further?

 developing further systems to work in partnership with other providers delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage to promote continuity of care and learning.

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the early years provision

The manager and her staff place a very high priority on keeping children safe. There is a clear and comprehensive safeguarding policy and all staff have been This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 suitably vetted. They fully understand their responsibilities towards safeguarding and know what to do if they have any concerns about a child in their care. Children are cared for in an extremely safe, secure and well maintained environment. Staff conduct very thorough risk assessments and daily checks to identify any potential dangers and minimise risks to children. Staff carry out separate risk assessments when they take the children on outings within the local community. All required documentation is readily accessible and effectively promotes the exceptionally efficient management of the setting.

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the early years provision

Excellent use is made of the space, both indoors and outdoors. Children play in an extremely well organised environment and freely access an exciting range of high quality resources and activities. They choose what they want to play with and can decide to play inside or access the outdoor area. This gives them limitless opportunities to develop their decision making and independence skills. High staff ratios make sure that children are fully supervised at all times. The setting welcomes all children and staff have a highly positive attitude towards inclusion and diversity. Staff strongly value each child as an individual and work closely with parents to make certain children's individual needs are very well met. Procedures to support and include children with special educational needs and/or a disability are extremely effective.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents and carers are outstanding. All children are assigned a key person who works closely with each family. Parents share information on their children's routines and achievements before they start at the setting. Children are happy and extremely settled in the setting because staff consistently use this information to plan activities and routines to meet their individual needs. Highly effective planning systems enable key persons to observe children and rigorously monitor their progress. Children's next steps for learning are accurately identified and used to inform subsequent planning. Staff very positively involve parents in their children's learning by actively encouraging them to contribute to their records. Consequently, children make outstanding progress in their learning and development. Parents particularly welcome the opportunity for daily verbal feedback and are highly complimentary about the caring and nurturing staff.

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the early years provision

The setting has developed close links with the local school. Several children attend other early years settings and some links with other providers have been established to promote the continuity of care and learning.

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the early years provision

The manager is passionate about securing positive outcomes for all children. All previous recommendations have been successfully addressed. All staff share her vision and work extremely well as a team to constantly self-evaluate their practice and provision. Feedback is obtained from parents and children verbally and via questionnaires. Key priorities have been identified to further improve the exceedingly high quality provision. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children are extremely confident, happy and settled, and play in a very safe and welcoming environment. They are supported by enthusiastic and highly motivated staff who demonstrate an exceptionally high level of knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This helps children to make outstanding progress in all areas of their learning and development. Children enjoy the freedom of choosing to play indoors or outside. They particularly enjoy imaginative role play, confidently initiating their own games with their peers. They sit in a line on the stepping stones outside and set off on an exciting train journey. They develop their creative skills using recycled modelling materials and choose their own resources and tools. Staff plan activities to support the current mini beast theme, and children thoroughly enjoy learning new songs and making spiders to support their learning.

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and outcomes for children

Staff use excellent open ended questions to help children think and problem solve. For example, children are encouraged to work out how many more legs their spiders need to make eight. The stimulating environment has a range of texts, numbers and labels to support children's learning. Children learn to recognise their own names through self-registration and independently find their water bottles and cups throughout the session. They are eager to practise writing and staff support them to label their own work. Children's skills to give meaning to their marks and early writing are further promoted through the exceptionally well-organised outdoor environment. Children thoroughly enjoy playing with chalks and 'painting' with paint brushes and water. Highly reflective staff plan enriching activities which encourage children to become active and inquisitive learners. Children learn about differences and the wider world through resources and activities such as

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and outcomes for children

celebrating Chinese New Year and St George's Day. This helps them to develop excellent skills for the future.

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and outcomes for children

Children demonstrate a highly effective understanding of how to keep themselves safe. They regularly practise the fire drill and learn how to safely evacuate the building. They know that they have to sit down when using tools such as scissors. Children show an exceptional sense of security as they confidently approach adults to ask for help. Children learn to adopt extremely good healthy lifestyles through the implementation of fully embedded routines. Older children independently use the toilet and know to wash their hands when they have finished. They also know that they need to wash their hands before they eat and staff gently remind younger children to do so. They independently help themselves to healthy options of fruit at snack time and pour themselves drinks of milk or water. All children have excellent daily opportunities to play in the fresh air and thoroughly enjoy developing their physical skills outside. For example, they develop their balancing

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and outcomes for children

skills on the beam and enjoy throwing and catching with bats and balls. Children's behaviour is exemplary and they develop excellent relationships with the adults and their peers. Staff help children to develop an exceptionally strong sense of belonging by displaying their work on the walls. They constantly praise the children's efforts and fully acknowledge their achievements. This has a significant impact on promoting children's high levels of confidence and self-esteem. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 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 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 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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