Ladybird Kindergarten

Ladybird Kindergarten Little Warley & Childerditch Village Hall, Magpie Lane,Little Warley, BRENTWOOD, Essex, CM13 3DZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/10/2012 08/11/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 4 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 A stimulating environment ensures that children are offered a variety of activities and resources that engage them and build on their individual interests.  Children feel safe and secure in their relationships with staff and the implementation of an appropriate key person system improves relationships with the children and their families.  Staff support children to develop an active understanding of the importance of physical exercise and a healthy diet.

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It is not yet good because

 Systems to monitor the progress of different groups of children have not yet been introduced.  Observations, assessments and planning are not sufficiently analysed in order to identify children's next steps in learning and build on their progress.  Parents are not sufficiently encouraged to share information about their children's learning and development at home so this information is not incorporated into plans for children's further progress.

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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.

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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.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager and staff at regular intervals throughout the inspection and made observations of the children present.  The inspector observed all relevant documentation provided.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to and recorded comments made by parents during the inspection visit.

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Information about the setting

Ladybird Kindergarten is privately owned and opened in 1993. It operates from the village hall in Warley, near Brentwood, Essex.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school is open five days a week from 9.15am to 12.15pm term time only. All children have access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. The pre-school receives early years funding for three- and four-year-olds. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 12 children on roll, of whom all are in the early years age group.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school employs six members of staff. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications. The pre-school receives support from the local authority and the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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must:

 analyse the information gained through observation and assessment to identify children's next steps in learning and demonstrate how these are incorporated into planning  develop further the systems in place to encourage parents to support and share information about children's learning and development at home.

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

 introduce systems for monitoring progress in relation to different groups of children in order to be able to track any group falling behind their peers or below their expected developmental bands.

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who attend

Staff have a sound knowledge of the seven areas of learning and provide a range of activities that take children's interests into account and hold their attention. For example, following children's enthusiasm for a popular monster character in a children's book activities are planned to incorporate the story into all areas of learning. For example, children develop their use of weight and measure as they make a 'monster' cake and refine their listening and prediction skills as they enjoy the book at story time. They use their investigative and problem-solving skills as they participate in a monster hunt and follow clues to help them find characters from the book that are hiding in the wood.

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who attend

Children and parents are offered a supportive settling-in process to help them build trusting relationships with the staff. An appropriate key person system ensures that relevant information about the children is shared at the start of the process. Staff use observations and assessments to chart children's development. However, they are not sufficiently analysing this information to identify and plan for children's next steps in learning. As a result, children's development is not optimised.

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who attend

Children are appropriately motivated in their learning. They are learning the use of tools such as scissors as they cut pieces of bubble wrap to make prints. They describe the bubble wrap as 'bumpy and soft', which builds on their vocabulary. Children develop their understanding of the world as they learn about the life cycle of frogs and learn to care for the pre-school froglets by feeding them blood-worms. They use tongs to count cotton wool balls into numbered bags and develop their sense of shape as they persevere with matching pegs into the correct hole. Their technological skills are encouraged as they sing into the tape recorder and then enjoy hearing their own voice as it is played back to them.

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

Staff have a good understanding of safety issues and give priority to children's safety. All areas used by the children are effectively checked and risk assessed. Staff monitor visitors to the pre-school and mobile phones are not allowed to be used in the pre-school. Children are consistently made aware of the safety procedures in place. They are sensitively reminded to walk when inside and to only use the scissors when they are sitting down. Visits and walks within the local community also increase children's understanding of their own safety and the environment they live in. They are given clear messages to ensure that they develop a good understanding of healthy eating and the need for physical exercise. Their dietary needs are fully discussed at the start of the placement and adhered to. Children are given choices at snack time and the availability of small jugs enhances their independence by enabling them to pour their own drinks.

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

Children make active use of the outside play area, which is used as an extension of the learning environment. For example, children learn positional language as they run under the parachute and display good negotiation skills as they avoid their peers when playing running games.

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

The staff team are good role models for the children. They provide clear guidance about acceptable behaviour and are consistent in the strategies used. Persona dolls are also used to help the children see the effects of their actions on others and why certain behaviour is unwanted. Relationships are strong at all levels and children are learning to respect and tolerate each other's differences. They display confidence and self-esteem and cooperate with their peers in taking responsibility for the pre-school. For example, they join in enthusiastically when it is tidy up time. They also take pride in their achievements as they ask a member of staff to keep their model to show their parent at home time. Children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning as they get to know their new teachers who visit the pre-school. Transition procedures ensure that all relevant information is shared. They also display photographs of their 'Big school', which supports

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

The successful implementation of the key person system helps children form secure attachments and promotes their well-being. They move with confidence around the pre- school, secure in the knowledge that they can go to the staff when and if they need support. For example, when they decide that they need a larger table outside for their craft activity they approach the staff to help them manage this task.

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provision

An appropriate emphasis is given to the arrangements for safeguarding children within the pre-school. All staff attend training on safeguarding and are aware of the procedures to be followed should concerns arise. Secure recruitment procedures ensure that staff are suitable to do their job and training is offered to improve their childcare skills and knowledge. Consequently, children benefit from their continued development.

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provision

There is an appropriate overview of the curriculum. The management support staff to ensure that the educational programmes offer a range of experiences to help children progress towards the early learning goals. However, they have not yet introduced a wider tracking system to monitor the different groups of children, in order to identify any group falling behind their peers or below their expected achievements. Staff have a positive relationship with parents. Verbal interaction, newsletters and daily activity plans help inform parents about their children's day. However, as parents are not fully encouraged to share their child's achievements from home, this information cannot be used to identify and plan for children's further progress. As a result, this does not promote continuity in guiding their child's development both at home and at pre-school.

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provision

The management and staff team are committed to driving improvement for the pre-school and children. They have worked hard to ensure that the welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are understood and implemented. Through monitoring their setting, management and staff are more aware of their strengths and areas for improvement. They have set themselves realistic targets for change and use the self- evaluation form to help them chart their progress. They demonstrate a positive attitude to the inspection process and want to build on their practice to ensure that all children have a secure learning experience with them.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 508724 Local authority Essex Inspection number 764914

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 12 Name of provider Christel Monika Harvey Date of previous inspection 08/11/2011 Telephone number 01277 212288

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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.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

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

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