Jarrow School

Grovelands Park Pre-School And Toddler Group Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 133725 Inspection date 26/04/2012 Inspector Gill Walley

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Setting address School Lane, Grove, Wantage, Oxfordshire, OX12 7LB

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Telephone number 07758411782 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 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

Grovelands Park Pre-School registered in 1990. It is managed by a voluntary committee. It has recently moved into new premises comprising two rooms, an office and a kitchen in the grounds of Millbrook Primary School, in the village of Grove, on the outskirts of Wantage, Oxfordshire. There is an enclosed outdoor play area. The pre-school serves the local areas of Grove, Wantage and surrounding villages. The pre-school opens for five weekdays during school terms. Sessions run from 8.45am to 11.45am each weekday and from 1pm until 3pm on Thursdays. There is also a lunch club on Thursdays. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register and there are places for 32 children. Currently there are 51 children from two to four years on roll, some of whom receive funding for nursery education. The setting supports children who speak English

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Description of the setting

as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The pre-school employs five staff on a part time basis, of whom three, including the manager, have appropriate early years qualifications. Two members of staff and a volunteer who attends three days a week are working towards National Vocational Qualifications Level 3. Regular support is received from the local authority and the Pre-school Learning Alliance. The school works in close partnership with the adjoining primary school and the nearby children's centre.

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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

Grovelands Park Pre-school and Toddler Group is a good setting where children make good progress overall through interesting and well-planned activities. There are exceptionally strong links with parents and the pre-school works closely in partnership with the local authority and the adjoining school. The manager and her staff have an excellent understanding of the setting's strengths and constantly strive for improvement. For example, they are currently developing their expertise further in understanding how to support children with special educational needs and are adapting the layout of the new building to improve children's opportunities for learning. The staff have also identified the need to track the progress of different groups of children more accurately. Very rigorous self-evaluation and high levels of drive and ambition ensure the pre-school has an outstanding capacity to improve.

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further?

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

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further?

 increase opportunities for children to consolidate their independent learning This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 by displaying letters and numbers in the outdoor play areas  evaluate the progress of different groups of children in specific areas of learning to ensure they all make equally good progress.

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the early years provision

All staff demonstrate a very thorough understanding of safeguarding and attend training regularly. They fully implement rigorous policies and procedures to ensure children's absolute safety and staff are always extremely vigilant. All policies are reviewed frequently. There are robust recruitment and vetting procedures so that all adults who work with the children are suitable. Security is extremely good because doors are locked and children are always carefully supervised. There are rigorous assessments to reduce the risk of accidents. Children practise fire drills frequently so that they become familiar with the routine. They are encouraged to take responsibility for their own safety, for example when playing outdoors on the logs. Partnerships with parents and carers are outstanding. They receive regular detailed information about their children's learning and development through daily discussions with staff and a daily diary. They see the plans for activities on the

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the early years provision

notice board, and also see their children's learning records. They say their children thoroughly enjoy their time at the pre-school and are very pleased with their children's progress in developing social skills, confidence and their understanding of numbers, letters and sounds. Parents and carers also attend termly consultation meetings where they find out how their children learn and how to help them further at home. They are asked their views frequently, for example about the length of sessions, and do not feel that anything can improve. They comment on how happy their children are and how well the staff know and care for them. Partnerships with the adjoining school are strong, for example the children share the outdoor environment and regularly visit to play with children in the nursery class. This helps to ensure that children have a very smooth transition to full-time education and helps them develop good social skills by playing with a wider group

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the early years provision

of children. There are productive partnerships with outside agencies to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language. The setting also works closely with the local authority to evaluate its provision. The pre-school is extremely well led and managed and staff meet regularly to discuss planning and areas for improvement. There are excellent self-evaluation systems which include parents' and carers' views. The manager has high aspirations and has brought about rapid improvement in a relatively short time. She has established very rigorous procedures to ensure the pre-school runs very smoothly. She has adapted the use of the rooms in the new building and developed the resources outdoors to provide exciting and varied learning opportunities for the children. Staff observe children so they know precisely what learning opportunities each one needs next. The staff know the children well and

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the early years provision

they track individual children's progress rigorously. However, they do not compare the progress of different groups, such as boys and girls, or the progress in different areas of learning, to ensure all are doing equally well in each aspect. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

The new premises are very well resourced with toys which enthuse and motivate the children to explore and learn new skills, for example through construction and puzzles. Children achieve well in all areas of learning because activities are matched well to their individual needs. Children behave extremely well and are kind and considerate towards one another. Staff have excellent relationships with them and they have extremely high expectations. They praise and reward children constantly to develop their confidence and self-esteem. Festivals such as Chinese New Year and Easter enrich children's experiences and give them a good understanding of different lifestyles and customs. The children play with toys and dolls which help them to understand diversity. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, are fully included in all activities and staff adapt activities and the environment well

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and outcomes for children

to support them. Children make healthy choices at snack time and develop a good understanding of keeping healthy and safe. They take responsibility by choosing what they would like to play with and by tidying their toys away. They develop their physical skills well as they climb on logs in the outdoor area. They learn how to solve problems and the adults challenge them well with questions about their learning. The children enjoy role play in their outdoor den and exploring gravity with pipes and water. They develop their early writing skills and learn to enjoy books by listening to their favourite stories and visiting the library. They find out a great deal about the world around them through visits to a local Forest Schools project. The indoor environment is rich in print, labels, letters and numbers so that children can learn very well independently and can find the toys they want to play with. The

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and outcomes for children

outdoor area, which is still being developed, lacks these additional learning aids. The staff make effective use of opportunities to reinforce and extend children's learning, for example by encouraging them to count their pieces of fruit at snack time and by asking them questions about their activities. Children develop independence, for example by finding their boots and coats when they want to play outdoors. Children are very keen to learn and participate enthusiastically in a wide range of interesting activities. They develop good creative skills, for example through collages and paintings about different types of weather. They have painted pictures of the different foods featured in a favourite story and adults use these to encourage them to recognize and write numbers. Children can count and identify colours, letters and shapes, and talk about textures and weighing when they are cooking. They practise their counting skills daily through singing songs and nursery

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and outcomes for children

rhymes. They develop fine motor skills to support early mark-making by threading beads and lacing string. These experiences give the children a good foundation for the next stage of their 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 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 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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