Pewsham Preschool Ltd

Pewsham Pre-School Limited Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY441007 Inspection date 10/05/2012 Inspector Karen Prager

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Setting address Kings Lodge Community School, Lodge Road, CHIPPENHAM, Wiltshire, SN15 3SY Telephone number 01249461017 Email pewshampreschool@btconnect.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.

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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

Pewsham Pre-School is a well-established group that moved to their present premises in 2004. It operates from a converted self-contained mobile building on the grounds of Kings Lodge Primary School in Chippenham and serves the local area. Children also have access to an enclosed outside play area, part of which is covered by a canopy. The group is registered for 26 children between two and five years of age. There are currently 62 children on roll. This includes 55 funded three- and four-year-olds. Children may attend for a variety of sessions. The group opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from Monday to Friday 8.50am till 11.50am and 11.50am till 2.50pm. Nine staff work with the children, all of whom have early years qualifications to level 2, 3 or 4. The setting receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare

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Description of the setting

Register. It has disabled access for adults and children, and is able to support pupils who are learning English as an additional language or who have learning difficulties or disabilities.

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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 pre-school provides an inclusive learning environment, providing well for the needs of its children. The positive relationships established with parents and carers is a key strength. The children are happy, well behaved and make good progress, due to the good adult support. This results in a safe environment where the children's learning is promoted by the provision of a good range of activities. The managers reflect well on practice, overall, which means that the pre-school is successful in making and sustaining improvements.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further systems to track children's progress towards the early learning goals, so that effective support can always be targeted correctly

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the early years provision

Staff demonstrate a high level of commitment to promoting children's safety. All staff receive training on safeguarding issues and know the appropriate procedures This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 to follow should they have a concern about a child in their care. Documents are well maintained. A wide range of relevant policies are reviewed annually by the committee to ensure they remain relevant to practice. Essential information, such as the registration certificate, is displayed at the entrance of the premises for parents to see. Staff are well qualified, recruitment procedures are robust and all necessary checks are carried out. Procedures are implemented consistently and energetically to ensure issues are dealt with effectively.

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the early years provision

The pre-school managers have accurately judged the provision and outcomes for children. Whilst these are consistently good, and there are some areas of exceptionally high quality, work remains to be done on driving improvement to further enrich outcomes through embedding staff knowledge in daily practice. Managers are ambitious to improve and participate in an annual review of the pre- school using the Bristol Standards self-evaluation system. Staff are well supported in attending training to improve their practice. Recently the staff have attended speech and language training and are now using the information learnt to support all children reaching a good level of achievement. This drives forward the task of closing identified achievement gaps. The pre-school hosts play sessions once a week which provides a valuable occasion for children who are present at this time to play with children who attend the neighbouring Opportunity Playgroup.

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the early years provision

A good staffing ratio is maintained throughout the day. The premises are well maintained and brightly decorated with posters and examples of the children's work. Resources are of a high quality and a recent review has led the staff to extend the range of resources which help children gain a greater knowledge and understanding of the world. The play room is set out invitingly for the start of the session so that children quickly settle to an activity. The staff and parents have recently worked together to develop the outside play area to offer a wider range of provision including a sensory garden and vegetable growing area and further plans for the outdoor area are in place.

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the early years provision

The pre-school has a highly positive relationship with all groups of parents and carers and they speak highly of the relationships developed. An active parent's committee is heavily involved in decision-making on key matters affecting the setting through well-established and inclusive procedures, including self-evaluation. Parents and carers are very well informed about all aspects of their own children's achievement, well-being and development. A web site, regular newsletters, informative notice boards and available staff means that there are strong communication channels in place. Partnerships are well established with the school and local Opportunity Playgroup. Early Years staff from the host school make regular visits and share stories with the children, and children visit the school to share in concerts. These strong links help children make a smooth transition when they leave the pre-school to attend school.

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the early years 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 enter confidently at the start of the session, and quickly settle to an activity of their choice. The play room is set out invitingly and staff engage with children as they play. A pirate ship set out to link with the current topic of boats immediately engages children and they climb confidently to the top. Children draw round a template to make pirate hats and draw treasure maps. Staff working with the children have a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. Key staff build individual and informative records which record ongoing observations and progress. These are shared with parents on a regular basis informally and during parents' evenings. Staff use their assessments to inform planning on a week by week basis, based around topics chosen by staff. The planning of activities is flexible to take into account children's individual interests. This is displayed so that all staff can see how to support the children, but not

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and outcomes for children

always followed through. Staff monitor the progress of individual children though there are not yet systems in place to monitor the progress of groups of children to ensure effective support is always targeted correctly.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn to keep themselves safe under guidance from the staff. They remind one another to walk indoors and to hold on with two hands when climbing. They use traffic signals with confidence showing a clear understanding of the red 'stop' and green 'go' signs. The outdoor area is readily accessible from the play room for much of the session and many children show that they prefer to play outdoors. They play together in the large play house and keep active as they cycle round negotiating others with skill. Staff promote healthy lifestyles. All children and staff participate in a daily 'wake and shake' session moving freely to a familiar song. Children all line up to wash their hands before snack. They manage this competently and staff remind them that it is important to do this before they eat. The group snack time provides children with the opportunity to sit together and chat. Staff effectively use this time to support children's number skills. They recall

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and outcomes for children

the number of children present, how many bowls they need and carefully count the permitted pieces of fruit and crackers. Staff provide a healthy range of foods at snack time and parents are encouraged to send a balanced meal for those who are present for lunch.

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and outcomes for children

Children make a positive contribution to their pre-school through clearing away toys. They work together to tidy the toys at the end of the free-play session, and concentrate as they sweep sand into a pile. Children behave very well and staff support them effectively through discussion to resolve any conflicts they may have. Through the positive staff interactions and well laid out environment children become confident, inquisitive learners. They freely make choices from the clearly labelled resources. Children play cooperatively and work together, finding shapes that fit together and make repeating patterns.

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and outcomes for children

Children form secure relationships with staff and their friends demonstrating that they feel safe. Routines and procedures at the beginning and end of each session ensure safety as well as giving opportunities to talk to parents and carers. Children This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 develop particularly well in their language and communication due to targeted support. Staff support all children to be confident in speaking in a large group and the play room is a gentle buzz of chatter as children chat freely to their friends and staff. Through the effective support for literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology children gain valuable skills for their future lives. Children learn about the jobs other people do through visitors into the pre-school. They also make occasional visits in the community. These visits link with the children's current learning, for instance a topic about transport is supported by a

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and outcomes for children

coach trip to a local farm. Children also use sign language when singing their 'please and thank you song' before snack. This helps them begin to understand different ways of communicating with others. 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 1 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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