Little Stones Pre-School and Out of School Clubs

Little Stones Pre-School and Out of School Clubs 15 Jacksons Lane, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN8 4LD

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/10/2012 19/11/2009

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 3 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

p.1

This provision is satisfactory

 Children settle well in the safe environment where potential risks are assessed and suitable actions are taken to eliminate or minimise them.  Children are provided with a variety of appropriate activities which engage their attention.  Children's learning potential is improving, as a result of systems being introduced by the new manager.

p.1

It is not yet good because

 Individual children's learning needs and styles are not being taken into account sufficiently in the planning process.  Practitioners do not always offer sufficient motivation or challenge to children as they play nor do they display consistent practice during health routines and behaviour management.  Parents are not sufficiently involved in the settling-in process and the ongoing development of their children.

p.1

Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are scheduled:  at least once in every inspection cycle. The current cycle ends on 31 July 2016  more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged as inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage; or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised for inspection where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

p.2

Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the playroom and the outdoor area.

p.2

Inspection activities

 Observations throughout the inspection were discussed with the manager and key people.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's 'learning journals', the settings' action plan and evaluation and a selection of policies, procedures and children's records.

p.2

Information about the setting

Little Stones Pre-school and Out of School Club is run by a voluntary management committee. It opened in 1970 and operates from one room in an accessible building near the centre of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area.

p.2

Information about the setting

The group provides three types of care facilities at different times. The pre-school is open during term-time only and sessions are daily from 9.15am to 11.45am and 12.30pm to 3pm. The out of school club is open daily during term-time and sessions are from 3pm to 6pm. Little Stones Holiday Club also operates from the same premises during school holidays and sessions are from 8.30am to 5.30pm daily.

p.2

Information about the setting

The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 28 children in the early years age group on roll. The setting serves both the local and wider community. There are five members of staff, four of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The setting provides funded early education for three- and four-year-olds.

p.3

must:

 develop the educational programmes by, providing improved systems so that the individual needs, interests and stage of development of each child is taken into account when planning a challenging and enjoyable experience for each child in all seven areas of learning and develeopment  develop the educational programmes by, providing children with planned, purposeful play through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity where practitioners respond to each child's emerging needs and interests, guiding their development through warm, positive interaction.

p.3

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 engage parents more in the ongoing learning and development of their children.

p.3

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 regularly consider the training and development needs of all staff members to ensure they offer a quality learning experience for children that continually improves.

p.3

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 ensure the consistency of staff practices to promote healthy routines for children and reinforce expectations of acceptable behaviour.

p.3

who attend

Children enjoy their time at the pre-school and eagerly engage in the varied activities set out for them by the staff team. However, teaching techniques are variable amongst practitioners resulting in a lack of motivation and encouragement sometimes which is detrimental to children's progress. There are planned opportunities for children to develop early writing skills in a variety of situations but without appropriate adult encouragement these are not always well used. Outdoor play is offered at each session and whilst children benefit from outside play, the presentation of the outdoor learning environment does not fully support those children who have a preference for outdoor learning to extend their skills across all seven areas of learning.

p.3

who attend

Recently introduced changes to the way observation, assessment and planning is organised, have the potential to improve play opportunities and learning outcomes for children when they have bedded in. Children are secure in communicating their needs and preferences and there are staff who help to promote children's early language well by introducing words, such as 'swirly' and 'splodge' as they help to paint the planet moon. Children quickly gather round when an adult is in the book corner reading a book and enjoy the closeness as they sit on the cushions together sharing the story. Systems to assess children's starting points have recently been introduced to the setting. Key person partnerships are still being established and are not yet fully effective in encouraging and enabling parents to contribute more to their child's ongoing development and progress.

p.4

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Practitioners know their key childrens care requirements well, offering them emotional support which helps them to settle and to develop a sense of belonging. Older children display good levels of confidence and learn to negotiate and cooperate with their peers. However, when children display challenging behaviour practitioners are not always consistent in their management of the perpetrator.

p.4

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children are encouraged to become independent in their self-care, for example, by collecting a beaker and plate or bowl from the table before sitting down to snack and by pouring their own drink. However, although practitioners ask children if they have washed their hands and send them off to do so if necessary, they do not all check that the task has been completed, potentially risking infection when the children pick up their food. The learning environment has recently been reorganised to provide more floor space for children to spread out when playing and also to reduce the risk of children bumping themselves or each other when activities were positioned too close together.

p.4

provision

The management of the setting has clear aspirations for improving the quality of the provision. Accurate identification of priorities through self-evaluation and by starting to implement these is encouraging. Staff appraisals have recently been conducted to identify individual's development and training needs and training plans have been established with the support of the local authority. Peer support is also being introduced to enable those with more knowledge to cascade it to their colleagues. For example, about how to use individual learning plans effectively and look at children's learning styles through the use of schema.

p.4

provision

Plans are being developed to strengthen the key person role with parents to better support the sharing of information and a system has been introduced to share information with other providers of early years education to support continuity of learning across the provisions. Arrangements for safeguarding children have recently been reviewed and the procedures updated. Staff are aware of their responsibilities in relation to child protection and are due to attend refresher training shortly to reinforce their knowledge and understanding of all the issues. Children are able to play safely as staff ensure the premises are safe and secure.

p.4

The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

p.5

Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

p.5

Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

p.5

Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

p.6

Setting details

Unique reference number 220270 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 818166

p.6

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 17 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 28 Name of provider Littlestones Pre-School Date of previous inspection 19/11/2009 Telephone number 01933 276645

p.6

Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

p.6

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.6

Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

p.6

Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

p.6

Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises that are usually their own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

p.7

Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. 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,

p.7

Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, 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. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

p.8

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.8