Seedlings Preschool Ltd

Seedlings Limited Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY279371 Inspection date 10/05/2012 Inspector Heather Morgan

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Setting address Dunstone Primary School, Shortwood Crescent, PLYMOUTH, PL9 8TQ Telephone number 01752 491547 Email admin@seedlingspreschool.co.uk 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

Seedlings Limited was registered in 2004 and operates from a classroom in Dunstone Primary School. It is situated in a residential area of Plymstock, on the outskirts of Plymouth, Devon. It is run as a community business venture and is managed by a committee of local people, including staff, teachers and parents. In April 2011 the nursery moved from its existing classroom in the main school building, to a purposefully redeveloped external classroom. This consists of two rooms with a covered deck area and steps down to a patio and grassed area. The classroom is accessible via a ramp. The host school use the premises outside of the nursery's operating hours.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It provides care for up to 39 children aged between two and eight years, at any one time. It is open on weekdays during school term times, between 9am and 3pm.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 73 children on roll in the early years age range. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two, three and four- year-old children. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who are learning English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

An administrator and 14 staff work at the nursery, 11 of whom hold appropriate childcare qualifications. One member of staff holds Early Years Professional status.

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Description of the setting

The nursery has close links with the host school and children's centre situated on the same site.

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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 skilled staff team work together effectively and make excellent use of their wide range of resources to meet the needs of all children and promote their learning and development. They regularly reflect on their practice and share a vision for continuous development in order to improve outcomes for children. Exemplary policies and procedures are implemented diligently to help ensure the safety and security of the children. Staff work effectively with a wide range of professionals to support all children in achieving their potential. Good relationships are established with parents and carers to ensure that, overall, information is exchanged successfully to promote children's continuity of care and support their learning and development.

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further?

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 encourage further involvement of parents in contributing to children's learning and development records and agreeing their next steps for learning.

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the early years provision

Clear, comprehensive policies and procedures are in place and fully understood by all staff to enable them to keep children safe and secure. Staff are supported very effectively by a senior member of staff who ensures that procedures are diligently followed in the event of any concerns. Robust and rigorous recruitment and vetting procedures are implemented efficiently to assess the suitability of all adults working with the children. The premises are secure and vigilant staff closely monitor access to the nursery. Detailed assessment of risks enables staff to take highly effective steps to promote and maintain the safety and security of children at all times.

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the early years provision

The skilled staff team have a good understanding of how children learn and, consequently, provide good support during planned and spontaneous activities to extend and encourage children's learning and development. They provide children with opportunities to access a wide range of activities, both indoors and outdoors. Staff use their excellent range of resources in imaginative and innovative ways to capture and sustain children's interest. For example, children enjoy finding out how it feels to experience a foot spa and explore the different textures of flour, water and sand with their bare feet. Staff deploy themselves thoughtfully so that children are extremely well supported as they make independent choices in their play. As a result, all children are making good progress.

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the early years provision

There is a clear commitment to improvement within the team, who regularly reflect on their practice and share a vision of improving the service they provide to children and their families. Daily meetings help to ensure that all staff are clear about their responsibilities. They enthusiastically access training opportunities and are proud of the work they do.

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the early years provision

All children and their families are welcomed into the group and encouraged to share their home languages and cultural celebrations. Very good support is given to children with additional needs. Close partnership work with other professionals enables staff to tailor activities for individual children and help them achieve their full potential.

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the early years provision

Good relationships are established with parents and carers. Their views are sought through surveys and staff are available for discussions each day. Staff respond to parental requests for sharing information in different ways and use notice boards, a white board, home link books and email communication in addition to face to face discussions. They are currently seeking ways to further engage all parents in exchanging information about children's learning and achievements at home, to strengthen their own observations of children and to support them in planning This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 their next steps for learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children very successfully learn how to keep themselves safe. They are actively encouraged to express their feelings and they confidently speak up when they feel happy or sad. They develop very secure, close relationships with key members of staff. This means children are extremely settled and have the confidence to become independent and form secure friendships with other adults and children. They relish opportunities to learn how to manage risks for themselves as they play outdoors and develop skills in using a wide range of equipment in the woods. They learn simple games that enable them to play outdoors independently, while still being supervised by nearby members of staff.

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and outcomes for children

Children choose freely whether to play indoors or outdoors and regularly choose to spend time out in the fresh air. They enjoy physical challenges, such as manoeuvring wheeled toys around the garden. They are beginning to understand and respond to their own needs, such as recognising when they feel hungry or thirsty and choosing when to have a snack. Staff work closely with parents and catering staff to promote healthy eating habits and children enjoy a range of fresh fruit and raw vegetables as part of their snack.

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and outcomes for children

Children's behaviour is good. They learn how to negotiate simple conflicts themselves, such as reminding each other to share and working out how to take turns with favourite resources. Staff are always on hand to support this and to praise children when they work things out harmoniously for themselves. Consequently, children regularly play together cooperatively, taking account of each other's ideas and feelings. They are proud of each other's achievements and show care and concern, for example, if one of their friends is feeling unwell.

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and outcomes for children

Children enthusiastically participate in the wide range of activities offered to them. They engage in daily activities that encourage them to listen carefully and distinguish between different sounds. They use their developing awareness of numbers to solve simple problems. For example, they are able to work out how many girls and boys are present and whether there are more girls or boys. They love to explore and experiment with the excellent and varied resources available. They mix different coloured paints together to make new colours and use all sorts of different tools to create varied and interesting patterns with the paint. They work together well to build exciting dens and structures that enrich their imaginative play. Staff are skilled at supporting children's ideas and introducing additional resources to extend their learning. For example, when discussing what makes children happy, staff make a range of mark making materials available for

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and outcomes for children

children who decide to organise a 'fairy party' as parties make them happy. They are also aware of children's different learning styles and ensure that mark making opportunities are also available outdoors, where many of the boys choose to spend the majority of their time. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The outdoor environment provides many learning opportunities and children who discover newts rush indoors to share their excitement with others. They carefully count how many they have found and use magnifying glasses to have a closer look.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress in their learning and development and are supported well in becoming independent learners, which helps provide a firm foundation for their future learning. 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 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 1 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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