Hillcrest Academy

Devon Close Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 140413 Inspection date 25/05/2012 Inspector Kay Williams

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Setting address Devon Close, Tottenham, London, N17 9HR

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Telephone number 02088 013 210 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

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

Devon Close Pre-School registered in 1998. It is located in Tottenham, within the London Borough of Haringey and serves the local urban community. The pre- school is managed by a voluntary parent committee and is a registered charity. It is registered on the Early Years Register to care for a maximum of 20 children. There are currently 32 children aged from two to under five years on roll. The pre- school receives funding to provide free early education for children aged three and four years. Children use a large playroom and an adjoining smaller room, with access to an outdoor play area. The pre-school opens each weekday during school terms. Sessions run from 9am to 3pm. The pre-school currently supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language. The pre-school employs five staff, all of whom hold an appropriate level 3 early years qualification.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children make some progress in their learning and development and enjoy warm relationships with staff. However, there are weaknesses in the way staff organise activities and in their interactions with children. Children are safe and secure but strategies to support their understanding of behaviour are not always consistent or effective. Good partnerships with parents, and appropriate partnerships with other professionals, help staff to meet children's individual needs to a satisfactory standard. Staff are developing their self-evaluation processes and show some capacity for continuous improvement. However, such processes are not rigorous and staff are not successfully addressing all recommendations from the previous inspection.

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further?

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

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further?

 review the organisation of adult-led sessions, considering how best to meet all children's needs  develop the role of the adult in supporting and extending all children's learning and development, paying particular attention to engaging in good- quality interactions  help children to show care and concern for others by explaining and maintaining reasonable and consistent limits regarding their behaviour  enhance self-evaluation processes to clearly identify and address priorities for development that will improve the quality of provision for all children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Staff have a clear understanding of their roles in safeguarding children and understand their responsibilities to respond to concerns. Appropriate recruitment procedures assess the suitability of adults to work with children. As a result, all staff hold relevant background checks. Staff carefully monitor visitors to the pre- school, further enhancing children's safety. A suitable risk assessment and daily safety checks support children's well-being by helping to eliminate hazards. However, strategies to manage children's behaviour are not always consistent or effective, which affects how safe children feel.

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the early years provision

Staff are beginning to make improvements to practice and they respond positively to assessment by the local authority. For example, they attend training to help them adequately support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They have some processes in place to evaluate their practice although these are not always effective. For example, they are not familiar with recommendations set at the last inspection and are not fully addressing these issues.

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the early years provision

Staff use their time appropriately to support and supervise children. They provide a suitable range of resources that are easily accessible, and they make good use of the outdoor space. However, they do not always organise activities effectively or make good use of interactions with children to challenge and extend their learning.

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the early years provision

Engagement with parents is a strength of the pre-school. Parents openly praise the work of the staff and they value the friendly atmosphere that they create. Parents feel well informed about their children's achievements through regular discussions with staff. The pre-school values parents' views and a recent survey shows very positive feedback. Staff respond thoughtfully to concerns and implement changes where appropriate. Notice boards and monthly newsletters offer parents additional information about supporting their children's learning at home.

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the early years provision

Staff welcome all families and promote inclusive practice adequately. They provide some support for children who are learning English as an additional language, such as learning key words in children's home languages. However, they do not always engage such children successfully in group activities. Sufficient partnerships with other professionals are in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities but staff are not always effective in implementing agreed strategies. The pre-school has valuable partnerships in place with the local children's centre, which is helpful in linking parents to other professionals. However, staff are not currently working in partnership with the local school, which has some limitations in enhancing continuity of care and learning for children when they leave the pre-school. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Overall, children enjoy their time at the pre-school and make adequate progress in securing the skills they need for the future. They part happily from their parents and carers, and settle quickly to an activity of their choice. They are confident communicators who talk meaningfully about past and present events. Worksheets encourage children to develop early writing skills and they are learning to identify their names on their place mats. However, staff do not always extend such skills through other activities. Children enjoy a range of creative art activities and there is some improvement since the last inspection in the balance between adult direction and free creative expression. Nonetheless, templates drawn by staff continue to have some limitations on children's creativity. Sand and water play enable children to explore mathematical concepts, such as heavy and empty. However, staff do not routinely talk to children about mathematics in everyday

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and outcomes for children

Staff have a satisfactory understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They plan a varied range of activities, although they organise some better than others. For example, not all children benefit from whole group activities, such as 'circle' or singing times. Children sometimes lose interest or the activity becomes chaotic. Staff know children well and effectively help new children to settle. They collate good information from parents about children's starting points. The ongoing assessment system means that staff are familiar with children's achievements and what they are working towards. However, they do not effectively extend the capabilities of some groups of children because interactions are not always challenging or based on children's interests and needs.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy a sense of belonging and show appropriate levels of independence. They confidently choose resources for themselves and initiate their own play, particularly outdoors. They generally behave well and staff encourage them to share by using an egg timer system to promote fair access to popular resources. However, strategies to support children's behaviour are not always successful. As a result, children sometimes snatch resources away from each other and do not effectively learn about the importance of showing care and concern for others.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop an appropriate understanding of a safe and healthy lifestyle. They develop some understanding of sensible safety procedures, such as riding bikes carefully. They learn about healthy eating because they are actively involved in choosing nutritious food at snack time. They regularly play and exercise in the fresh air and they learn about the importance of drinking water during hot weather. However, staff do not always plan activities to challenge the physical skills of older and more able children. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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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